System of control for electric motors.



B. G, LAMME. SYSTEM OP-GONTFJOL FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS,

APPLICATIOH TILED DEG. ,'19O5.

Patentefl Oct. 8, 1908.

QUQQSQQ 3 SHEETSSHEET 2 3 M3: 5 wmn mm mm WITNESSES @100 4 [ATTORNEY B. G. LAMME. SYSTEM OF UONTROL FOR ELBGTRIG MOTORS.

APPLIU ATION FILED DEG. (L, 1905.

Patented Oct. 6; 1 908.

fimgsa.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Fig-Z. l

11 @amm W G WW 7 2 w d B 31-111 Z/ a, I: 7. 8 1 6. Iii I f lllllllllllllll II 9 l J 0 Z. Z 4 9 8 7 3 m 3/ ENVENTOR ATTORNEY B, s. LAMB/1E.

SYSTEM 01- GONTROL FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS,

'AHLIOATION PEI-BI) DEG 4, 1905.

WMQEQ, Patented; 0036,1908. jzf fi: a {SHEETS-SHEET 3 6/ WITNESSES INVENTOR v ATTORNEY ordinary construction, the above mentioned anceof the brushes and the character and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new to the rapidity with which the circuit is infiu x and the total number of turns through which this flux changes.

magnetic circuit, the difierence of potential secondary circuits and retard the rate of by the devices which secure the field magnet .e ectiveness of thislatter path as al'secondthe commutator cylinder.

adapted .to be operated by alternating cursT-a'rssrg irnupr-orrica.

BENJAMIN G. LAMME, or PITTSBURG, PENNSY AN IA. iiSSIGNOR T0 WESTINGHOUSE 'ELEC TRIG & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA...

, srs'rnmor CONTROL FOR ELECTRIC MOTOB8.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. a, race.

Application filed. December 4, 1905. Serial No. 290,122.

To-all whom it concern:

Be'itknownthat I, BENJAMIN G. LAMME, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and and useful Improvement in Systems of Control for Electric-Motors, of which the following is a specification.

My .inventionrelates to electric motors that are adapted to be operated by either direct or alternating currents, and to systems of control therefor. The object of my invention is to'provide improved mean s'whereby the occurrence of excessive induced voltages in the motor cir- CllliB,;llPOI1 interruption thereof, may be efiectually prevented.

It is well known to those skilled in the art that, upon the interruption of the circuit of an electric motor, a very high induced voltage often exists momentarily in the circuit as a result of the sudden reduction in the magnetism of the field, and oftentimes this is suflicient to cause a disruptive dischargethrough the insulation, after which serious injury may occur to the motor when it is again connected to the supply circuit. The induced voltage is directly proportional terrupted, the total change in the magnetic If one or more closed clrcuit conducting paths surround the will be reduced, because such paths serve as change of the'magnetic flux. In motors of closed circuits may be provided by the solid material of the field'magnet poles or yoke or windingsupon the polar proj ectionsfor they may beprovided by the armature coil or coils, the terminals of which are connected to ether at the instant of commutation. The

ary circuit for retarding the rate of change of the flux usually depends upon the resist extent of the contact which they make with In motors of the commutator type that are rents, low resistance-closed circuit paths are avoided as far as poss1ble,'because the-entire magnetic fluA changes at a very rapid rate. While these motors are usually provided with field magnet windings'having only a very few turns, in order that the ratioof field ampere turns to armature ampere turns may be low, and while they are so designed in other respects as to have but relatively low total induction, still the momentary rise in the voltage upon suddenly interrupting the circuits may amount to. two or more times the normal voltage.

The rise in voltage upon interrupting the circuit of a single motor may not cause injury thereto, but if the motors are connected in series and the circuit isinterrupted only at the terminals of the series, the rise in voltage may be excessive and cause a disruptive discharge to occur through the insulation of the circuit. The alternating voltage upon which these motors-are adapted to opcrate best is low as compared with. vthat which usually occurs upon the distributing circuit. 'hen the motors are operated by alternating currents. they .are usually connected in parallel and the high voltage of the distributing circuit is changed to the low voltage required by the motors by meansof transformers; but when they are operated by direct currents. they are generally connected in series to receive the full voltageof the distributing circuit, because of the im practicability of reducing such voltage. It follows, therefore, as hereinbefore stated, that under these conditions it isvery desir-- able to employ some means for reducing the voltage which is. induced upon interruption of the circuit.

According to my invention. the m otors are provided with auxiliary field magnet windings which remain open-circuited when the motors are operated by alternating currents, but which are closed-circuited when the motors are operated by direct currents or when they are disconnected from the direct current supply circuit. "The auxiliary field magnet windings may. also be connected in pairs in closed circuit and the means for adjusting the motor circuits may be so arranged that the induced electromotive forces in the respective auxiliary field magnet] windings of each pair may be caused to traverse the closed circuit in the sa'me direction when the motors are operated by direct currents and in opposite directions when they are operated by alternating .currents. With this arrangement, the auxiliary windings become efiective as a means. for retarding't-he rate of change of the magnetic flux when the motors are operated in series by direct currents, but have no effect when the The ci cuit relations of a pair of motors 1 -and 2 may be adjusted by means of a change-.

over switch 3, the conducting segments 1 and 5 of' fwhi'ch engage contact terminals 6, 7, 8

and 9when the motors are operated by direct currents and the conducting-segments 10 and 11 of which engage contact terminals 12, 6, 7 and 13 when the motors are operated by alternating currents, the motors being connected in serles relation in the former case and in parallel relation in the latter. The motors l and 2 are provided with auxiliary windings 14 that are preferably placed upon the field magnet polar projections 15 beside the main exciting coils 16, as indicated in Fig. at. The terminals of the windings 1=1 are con-' nected, respectively, to contact fingers 8 and 9 that are engaged by conducting segment 5 when the motors are connected in series relation foroperation by direct currents. It will be observed that when the motors are connected in series relation for operation by direct currents, the .windings 1a are connected in a closed circuit, and that when they are connected in parallel relation for operation by alternating currents, the circuit of the windings 14 is open. 1

The circuits of the motors may be further adjusted. by means of a controller 17 comprisinga plurality of stationary contact fingers 18 to 26, inclusive, and conducting segments 27 28 and 29 that may be moved into engagement therewith. The segment 27, when moved through the positions indicated by the broken lines a, b, c and (Z, serves to connect the motors between a trolley conductor 30 and a track rail 31 supplied with .direct current energy from any suitable source, such as that shown at 32, and also to vary .the amount of a resistance 33 included in circuit with the motors. \Vhen the conducting segments 28 and 29 are moved through the positions indicated by the broken lines 6,7 and g, a transformer 34;, supplied with alternating currents from any thereby established from trolley conductor suitable source, such as that shown at 36, is connected between a trolley conductor 35 and the track rail 31, and one terminal oftlie f motor is connected to one or another of leads 37, 38 and 39 from the transformer 34:, whereby the voltage applied to the motor circuits may be varied.

It will be readily understood from the foregoing description that when it is desired to operate by direct currents, the change-over switch 3 will first be moved to the position indicated by the broken line DC .and then the controller 17 will be moved to the position a, a circuit being 8O 30, through conducting segment 27, resistance 33, motor 1, conducting segment .4: and motor 2,' to the track rail 31, the motors being then connected in series. The resistance 33 may then be removed gradually from the circuits of the motors by moving the conducting segment 27 through the succeed ing positions. Upon returning the controller 17 to its otl position, a high induced voltage in the circuit-s of the motors 1 and 2 is prevented because the auxiliary windin s 14 are connected to form a secondary c osed circuit which retards the rate of change of the magnetic flux. The arrangements of the circuits, when operating by alternating currents, will be readily understood from the foregoing description and an inspection of the drawin If desired, the circuit of the auxiliary field magnet windings may be governed by the controller 17 rather than by the change-over switch 3, as indicated in Fig. 2. In this modification, the segment 5 and the contact fingers S and 9 are omitted and the drum of the main controller is provided with a con ducting segment 10 that engages contact fingers 4:1 and 4:2 for a period after the motors are disconnected from the direct current source of supply, the fingers 41 and 42 being connected to the terminals of the 110 winding 1A1, as indicated.

In Fig. 3, auxiliary field magnet windings l3 and la of motors 4:5 and LG-are connected permanently in a closed circuit, a changeover switch %7 serving to adjust the circuit 115 relations of the motors in such a manner that, upon disconnecting them from the di rect current supply circuit, the currents induced in the windings a3 and ll will traverse the closed circuit in the same direction, and 120 so that. when operated by alternating currents, the induced currents in the windings l3 and. ll will traverse the closed circuit in opposite directions. The coutrollerfor connecting the motors to the proper source of 125 energy and for varying the voltages applied thereto, is substantially the same asthat shown in Fig. 1 and it is only necessary to trace the circuits through the change-over switch in order to understand howthe cir- 130 rides the conducting segment 50, o. .an'd 46 in parallel relation and g segmielnt 51, it being observed rst traverses field magnet ojjthe motor 45 and thcnits 3,".wliilel it traverses the armature otor 46. before traversing its field i nagnet winding 55, the direction in which .the'current traverses the motor/t6 being the reverse of that in which it traverses the motor 2 of Fig. 1. The induced electro-motive forcesin the auxiliary windings i3 and 44 will ,then'oppose each other and the closed gircuit therefore becomes inefi'ective as a secondary circuit when the motors are operated -,-.30by alterfmting currents.

It will be understood from what has been shown and described that the field magnet polar-projections of a single motor may be? ,closed-circuited' upon disconnection of the motorrfi' om the direct current source of supply and niay be open-circuited when operating' by alternating currents, and that more C than two motorsmay be employed, the cir- 40-cuitsof1the auxiliary field magnet windings of whi'chlmay closed only. upon interruption of theflirect current circuit or the auxilia'r'y field magnet windings of which may be'connected in pairs: or groups in closed- ;ircuitjn a manner similarto that shown n ig'. 2. 4 It will also be understood that the motors may be arranged in other relations than in V ,7 series for operation by direct currentsand in pai allel fonoperation by alternating currents, and that the arrangements of the circuits in other respects and the -'strncture of the motor may be considerably varied from what has'been shown'and described in order I tosecure s'ubstantiallythe same-results, and withoutfmaterially affecting the mode of operation. and I desire that all such modifiations shall be included within the scope of my invention, V The modification shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings is'not specifically claimed herein, since it constitutes the subject-matter of a divisional application. Serial No. 417,367, filed Feb. 24, 1908.

the contact segwindings -13 and 44 are then added and the tact segments 50 and 51 and the pll'pvided with auxiliary windings which may I claim as my im'ention: v

1. The combination with an electric'niotor that may be operated by either alternating or direct currents, of an auxiliary niagnet winding therefor'that remainsopen clrcuited whent-he motor is operated by alternating currents but which is closed-circuited on itself when the motor is operated by direct currents. f

2. The combination with a source of direct currents, a source of alternating currents and an electric motor that is provided with an auxiliary field magnet winding, of means for connecting the motor with and disconnecting it from the said source, and means for closing the circuit of the auxiliary winding upon itself when the motor is disconnected from the source of direct currents.

3. The combination with an electl'ie.;,niotor x ne't winding the circuit of which is normally open and means for closing the circuit there'- of upon interruption of the circuits of the motor after operation by directcurrents.

4. The combination with a source of direct currents, a source of alternating currents and one or more electric motors that may be operated by either character of energy, of auxiliary field magnet windings therefor that serve as closed-circuit secondary windings upon interruption of the circuits of the motors after operation by direct currents butwhich are ineffective as secondary windings when operating by alternating currents.

'5'. The combination with one or more electricniotors that are adapted to be operated by either alternating or direct currents, of auxiliary fieldmagnet windings therefor that serve as secondary windings to retard changes in field magnetism when operatingby direct currents but are ineffective as secondary windings when operating by alternating currents.

6. The combination with one or more electric motors that may be operated by either direct or alternating currents and auxiliary field magnet windings therefor, of means whereby the motor circuits may be arranged for operation inaccordance with the character of energy that may be supplied thereto; whereby the auxiliary field magnet windings may be caused to serve as secondary windings to retard changes in field magnetism when operating by direct currents, and whereby they may be rendered ineffective as secondary windings when operating by alternating currents.

7. The combination with one or more electric motors that may be operated by either direct or alternating currents and auxiliary field magnet windings therefor, of means whereby the motors may be arranged in series relation when operating by direct vcurrents and in parallel relation when operating by In testimony whereof, I have hereunto alternating currents; whereby the auxiliary subscribed iny n-i1me this 2nd day of Deceln- 10 field magnetwindings may be caused to serve ber,'- l905.- as secondary windings to retard changes in BEN..A 5 held magnetism when operating by direct G L MM currents, and whereby they may be rendered Witnesses: inefl'ectlve as secondarywindmgs when oper-, ELIZABETH LIVINGSTONE,

ating by alternating currents. BIBNEY HINES. 

